Cm ENGLAND. 
Richard III. and afterwards married to Henry VII. Ce. 
cilia, married to John vifconnt Wells; Anne, married 
to Thomas Howard duke of Norfolk ; Bridget, who be¬ 
came a nun at Dartford ; and Catharine, contradfed to 
the infanta of Spain, but married to William Courteney 
earl of Devcnfhire. 
Edward IV. was much admired, in his youth, for the 
beauty of his features and the elegance of his perfon ; 
but, before his death, he became corpulent and bloated 
by intemperance. His addrefs was eafy, engaging, and 
familiar, which gained him the hearts of many, and the 
money of not a few,- particularly of the fair fex. He 
never forgot the name or face of any perfon with whom 
he had once converted ; and he is even faid to have known 
the charadlers and circumftances of every nobleman or 
gentleman of any confequence in his dominions. His 
great fuccefs in war (having gained nine pitched battles, 
in which he was prefent, and fought on foot, and never 
loft one) may be admitted as a fufficient proof of his mi¬ 
litary Ikill and courage, as well as of his good fortune. 
In a word, if his virtues had been equal to his endow¬ 
ments, he would have been both a great and a good king. 
But that was not the cafe. His piety is, indeed, celebrated 
by the monk of Croyland; but it did not prevent him 
from violating his moft folemn oaths, when he was prompt¬ 
ed to it by paftion, or the profpedt of advantage. He was 
guilty of many afts of cruelty ; and the unnatural mur¬ 
der of his brother Clarence muft fix an indelible (lain 
upon his character. Whenever he enjoyed peace, he 
abandoned ^himfelf to the gratification of his appetites. 
On his paftion for women he laid no reftraint; and his 
imprudent and criminal indulgence of it plunged him in¬ 
to much diftrefs and guilt, produced almoft all the difo/- 
ders of his reign, and all the calamities that befel his 
friends and family. The indulgence of vicious paflions is 
alike pernicious-to princes and to private perfons. 
Edward prince of Wales, his eldeft fon, was proclaim¬ 
ed king in London, April 9, 1483, by the name of Ed¬ 
ward V. He was then only in the thirteenth year of his 
age ; but his title was fo clear, that it was not imagined 
any difpute could poftibly arife about his pofleftion of the 
throne. The kingdom was at that time divided into two 
great factions. The queen’s family, who, during the 
laft reign, had grown into power, was become obnoxious 
to the old nobility, who could not bear to act in fubor- 
dination to perfons whom they contidered as inferiors. 
The king, during his life-time, had been able to over¬ 
awe thefe animofities ; and on his death-bed endeavoured 
to guard againft their future increafe. He exprelfed a 
defire that his brother, the duke of Gloucefter, fhould 
be entrufted with the regency, and recommended peace 
and unanimity during the minority of his fon. But the 
king was no fooner dead than the parties broke out with 
all their former refentments ; and the duke of Gloucef¬ 
ter, a crafty, wicked, and ambitious, prince, refolved to 
profit by their mutual contentions. His firft aim was to 
foment the difeontents of the old nobility, by infinuating 
that the queen wanted to hide the meannefs of her origi¬ 
nal in a multitude of new promotions; at the fame time 
he redoubled his profellions of zeal and attachment to 
that princefs, and thus entirely gained her confidence. 
Having lucceeded thus far, he gained over the duke of 
Buckingham, and fome other lords, to his intereft, and 
prevailed upon them, by the lure of reward, to fecond 
hint in his attempts to get the guardianfhip of the young 
king conferred upon him, together with the cuftody of 
his perfon. 
Being now fure of the co-operation of thefe noblemen, 
he refolved to take the young king out of the cuftody of 
the earl of Rivers, his uncle by the mother’s fide; and, 
having procured that nobleman to be arrefted, he met 
young Edward at Stoney-Stratford, and, with the moft 
profound refpedi, offered to conduct him to London. 
Having thus fecured the perfon of the king, his next ftep 
was to get the charge of the king’s brother, the duke of 
York, then about feven years old, who, with the queen, 
his mother, had taken fanftuary in Weftminfter abbey. 
The queen, who had mifgivings of the dangers that 
threatened her family, was very hardly perfuaded to de¬ 
liver up her child ; but, at the interceftion of the pri¬ 
mate, and the archbifliop of York, the was at laft induced 
to comply : when tenderly embracing him, and bedewing 
him with her tears, fhe bade him an eternal adieu ! The 
young king, finding that he was to have the pleafure of 
liis brother’s company, was greatly rejoiced at the queen’s 
compliance, not confidering the fatal intent of thefe pre¬ 
parations ; for, in a few days, the duke of Gloucefter, 
who had been made prote&or of the realm, upon a pre¬ 
tence of guarding their perfons from danger, conveyed 
them both to the Tower. Having thus fecured their 
perfons, his next ftep was to fpread a report of their ille¬ 
gitimacy ; and, by pretended obftacles, to put off the day 
appointed for the young king’s coronation. Lord Stan¬ 
ley, a man of deep penetration, was the firft to difclofe 
his fears of the protestor's ill defigns : and communi¬ 
cated his fufpicions to lord Haftings, who had long been 
firmly attached to the king’s family. Haftings would at 
firft give the furmife no credit; and probably his wifties 
that fuch a project might not be true, influenced his 
judgment, and confirmed his fecurity. But he was foon 
undeceived ; for Catefby, a vile inftrument of the pro¬ 
testor, was fent to found him, and to try whether he 
could not be brought over to aflift the projeSted ufurpa- 
tion. Haftings treated the propofal with horror; he pro- 
fefled himfelf immoveable in his adherence to the king; 
and his death was, therefore, refolved on by the pro¬ 
testor. 
In the mean time, orders had been difpatched to exe¬ 
cute the lords Rivers,-Gray, and Vaughan, who had 
been confined in Pomfret caftle, and whole only crime 
was their attachment to the young king. On the vety 
day on which they were beheaded, the protestor fum- 
moned a council in the Tower, whither lord Haftings, 
amongft others, repaired, no way fufpeSting that his owri 
life was in danger. The duke of Gloucefter was capable 
of committing the moft bloody and treacherous murders 
with the greateft coolnefs and deliberation. He came 
thither at nine o'clock in the morning, with the moft 
cheerful countenance, fainting the members with the ut- 
moft affability and good humour. He complimented the 
bifhop of Ely on his early ftrawberries, defiring to have 
a diftt of them. He then left the council, as if called 
away by other bufinefs ; but defired that his abfence 
might not interrupt the debates. In about an hour he 
returned with a ftern countenance, knitting his brows, 
biting his lips, and (hewing fome figns of inward pertur¬ 
bation. A profound filence enfued, and the lords looked 
upon each other, expeSting fome horrid cataftrophe. At 
length he broke out : “ My lords, what punifhment do 
they deferve who have confpired againft my life ?” This 
queftion redoubled the aftonifiiment of the affembly; and, 
the filence continuing, lord Haftings at length made an- 
fwer, that whoever did fo, deferved to be punilhed as a 
traitor. “ Thefe traitors (cried the protestor) are the 
forcerefs my brother’s wife, and Jane Shore his miftrefs, 
with their alfociates. See to what a condition they have 
reduced me by their incantations and witchcrafts.” Upon 
which he (hewed his arm, all (hrivelled and decayed ; but 
which was known to have been a natural defect. The 
amazement of the council feemed to increafe at this ter¬ 
rible accufation ; and lord Haftings again faid : “ If they 
have committed fuch a crime, they deferve punifhment.” 
“ If! (cried the hypocrite with a loud voice) doft thou 
anfwer me with ifs ? I tell thee that they have confpired 
my death ; and that thou, traitor, art an accomplice in 
their crime!” He then violently ftruck the table with 
his hand ; and the room was inffantly filled with guards. 
“ I arreft thee (continues he, turning to Haftings,) for 
high treafon;” and at the fame time gave him in charge 
to the foldiers. In tile mean time the council-room was 
s filled 
